couldn’t look away. With his head down, eyeing the paperwork in his hand, Kirill’s dark hair fell across one eye. Derreck’s palms itched to push it aside, tucking it behind his ear. Kirill’s gaze lifted and skimmed the room, skirting right over Derreck like he wasn’t there. The breath left Derreck’s lungs in a whoosh. He tried not to panic. They were at work. Kirill and he held management positions. They couldn’t be who they were last night while here. Derreck ignored the tiny voice in the back of his mind, reminding him they had kissed here too last night.
With his heart in his throat, Derreck got back to work. He had a ton of paperwork in his office, needing his attention. Not to mention, he had a few tables to check. Fuck. Derreck couldn’t think straight. He smiled at everyone he passed, even though he didn’t feel it. Derreck fought the urge to rush to his office and text Jett, confessing his fears. The thought of Jett brought with it another wave of worries. What if Kirill hadn’t been interested in Derreck at all? It was possible, after one date with Jett, Kirill had seen there was only one way to have Jett—through Derreck. Goddamn. He couldn’t breathe. Derreck needed to get inside his office before he had a full-blown panic attack. Maybe Kirill planned to steal Jett away and Derreck would be left alone in the world again. He could feel the walls closing in on him.
Derreck got one foot inside his office when he found himself hauled the rest of the way inside. The door slammed closed behind him. Kirill overcame him. His hands were everywhere as he kissed Derreck deep. His tongue stroked, seeking more, and stealing Derreck’s breath. Derreck buried his fingers in Kirill’s hair and hung on. He had gone a year without feeling anything. In just a couple of days, Derreck had gone from nothing to everything.
By the time Kirill pulled away, he tightly held Derreck’s shirt and gasped for air. He stared at Derreck’s lips. “I should let you work.”
A chuckle rose and stuck in Derreck’s throat. Happiness owned him in every way. “Probably, since you’re my boss, but I’m not complaining.”
Kirill’s gaze lifted. He looked every bit as consumed as Derreck felt. “I’m trying not to embarrass you. As you said, I’m your boss. You have to work with everyone here.”
Derreck shrugged. “Pretty much everyone here was here when Antonio owned the place. They’re all accustomed to me being more than the usual employee, but I get it. You have people to answer to as well.” Derreck couldn’t miss his chance to say something to Kirill he had always wanted to say. “I can’t even imagine being the one who has to directly answer to a mafia boss.” After all, everyone knew the Russian mafia owned Luna. No one talked about it, but Vegas was Kapra territory. Even though Zander Kapra lived in California, he owned everything and everyone in this town and on the west coast, whether they realized it or not.
One corner of Kirill’s mouth lifted. He took a step back. He didn’t quite meet Derreck’s stare. “I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else.” His gaze finally locked on Derreck. The power of having his attention was immense. Derreck couldn’t look anywhere else. “Let Jett know I have plans for you two tonight.”
“Should I feel weird about this?” Derreck said, giving voice to the one thought he had been avoiding looking too closely at since last night.
A rumble of laughter vibrated from Kirill. “I know it’s hard not to overthink things, especially since I understand how much you love Jett, but just don’t. Okay?” Kirill visibly swallowed, making it impossible for Derreck to respond. There was something in Kirill’s eyes. “Give me a little time before you shut me out.”
A sardonic smile pulled at Derreck’s lips. “Give me a little time before you expect the worst from me.”
Kirill’s gaze sharpened. “I think you’re amazing. Always have.” With that bombshell hanging between them, Kirill hurried away, leaving Derreck alone with nothing but a hard-on and his thoughts.
Derreck dug out his phone and called Jett. A smile stretched his lips when Jett answered on the first ring.
“Your number is the same. You didn’t respond to my text the other night.”
Derreck moved to sit at his desk. “Hello, sweet angel. Yes. My number hasn’t changed. I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your text the other night. When it came in, I